


Partners

by ShahHira



Series: The Jester's Quarry [1]
Category: JUDGE EYES: 死神の遺言 | Judgment, 龍が如く | Ryuu ga Gotoku | Yakuza (Video Games)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Humor, M/M, Pining, Set after Endgame, Trans Male Character, endgame spoilers, hoshino is a smart boy, judgment spoilers, mlm/wlw solidarity, not much but just in case, trans sugiura
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:35:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22263460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShahHira/pseuds/ShahHira
Summary: Who is the person behind the Jester mask? Now that the infamous serial murder case is behind them, Hoshino finally has the time of day to discover who Suguira is, and what Yagami saw in him. At least Genda-sensei is glad he is making friends instead of burying himself in work all the time.
Relationships: Hoshino Issei/Sugiura Fumiya
Series: The Jester's Quarry [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1603453
Kudos: 28





	Partners

**Author's Note:**

> I finished Judgment. I thought the twink was cool, I really did. But then I got hit by a dumptruck of fic ideas for sugiura and now I love and cherish him. yes I will one day finish my other wips i promise
> 
> Set after the events of Judgment, MINOR ENDGAME SPOILERS

Keyboards clacking, papers shuffling, voices quietly talking in the background. It’s quiet in the Genda Law Office today, relatively so  – this little corner of Kamurocho has had its fair share of drama and intrigue and high-octane adventure. Hoshino, for all his dogged enthusiasm for chasing down murder suspects and unraveling dark conspiracies, is glad to go back to normal. As he scrolls down case file after uninspiring case file, he wonders where all that bravery came from: to plunge into the unknown, to care nothing for his own safety, to put his life on the line so justice can be brought to those who thought they were untouchable by the law.

“Hoshino-kun, please tell me you’re almost done.”

A new voice chirps, wiggling its way between pressed suits and thirty-page long contracts into Hoshino's ears. He startles in his desk chair, tabbing back into his document.

"O-oh, just a minute, Sugiura-san. I'm almost finished!"

Sugiura groans from the sofa. “That's what you said twenty minutes ago. I swear this office is gonna turn into a crime scene, I’m dying of boredom here."

"I mean it this time," Hoshino assures, silently berating himself for getting distracted. "I just need to put the finishing touches on this contract."

"Hurry it up, would ya? It's not like anyone reads the fine print anyway."

Hoshino turns to narrow his eyes at Sugiura, by which the effect is lost since the giant file cabinet at his side doubles as a partition. "Sugiura-san," he says, trying to keep his voice level, "you  _ should _ be reading all the fine print on any kind of contract, regardless of how unimportant you may think it to be. Also, this is Saori-san's case, and she specifically asked me for my input, and I will not leave her with anything but my absolute best."

An annoyed 'tch' is all he gets, while Saori-san offers him a tiny appreciative smile. His heart jumps a little at the sight.

"Hoshino-kun," her smile widens microscopically and his hearts shoots up into his throat like it always does when his senpai acknowledges him, "it’s fine. This contract isn't urgent. You're free to leave for the day."

"You… you're sure? Genda-sensei won't mind?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Go before Okubo's visiting hours close up."

Sugiura eagerly hops up to his feet. "Finally! C'mon, let's go."

Hoshino closes his laptop reluctantly, then has to quickly shove it under his arm, barely grabbing his backpack as Sugiura hauls him by the wrist out the office.

"Phew!"

Sugiura leads the way to the taxi stand, bouncing with each step. Hoshino follows, and raises an eyebrow when Sugiura hops the stone perimeter of Children’s Park.

“I thought you wanted to visit Okubo?” Hoshino reminds Sugiura, who instead takes a seat on one of the swings.

“Yeah, but I’m not about to run from one stuffy room straight into another. Lemme get some fresh air first.”

Hoshino wouldn’t call Kamurocho’s air sweet or refreshing, but he does agree with the sentiment, sitting on the other swing; it’s nice to spend some time outside after a long day indoors. Somehow his laptop is open in his lap. Alright, still connected to wifi. Just need to add a few more touch-ups...

“Man, I knew you were whipped but I didn’t realize it was  _ that  _ bad, haha.”

Maybe the great outdoors isn't worth it if Sugiura is there to say stupid stuff like that.

"Eh!?" Hoshino reacts predictably, almost falling off the swing.

“You cave really fast when it comes to Saori-san, huh?"

He laughs at Hoshino's wide eyes, fluttering his legs like it's no big deal.

It takes a while for Hoshino to recover. "Saori-san? Me? ...Whipped?"

"Ah, an eloquent answer."

"I… I respect Saori-san," Hoshino tries again.

Sugiura shakes his head. “I’m not saying you don’t. But I mean, c’mon, you have other stuff to do besides be at her beck-and-call.”

“You’re just saying that because you were bored and wanted me to hurry up.”

“Heh, maybe just a little.” He raises a leg to perch on the swing. It’s uncharacteristically graceless for him. “Just… it’s not gonna win you any favors, if that’s what you’re aiming for.”

_ What’s he talking about? _ “I look up to her as my colleague,” Hoshino reiterates, firmly so there’s no room for doubt. “She's my senpai after all. What's so whipped about that?"

The lawyer within Hoshino rises up to defend those he cares about, speech leveling into a cool defense. However, Sugiura just sighs, dropping the humor from his face, turning serious. "Look, man. I was teasing before about you being whipped, but I need to be real with you so you don't get yourself hurt."

He takes a deep breath and says, "Saori-san's a lesbian."

…

…

"I know?"

"Eh?"

"I know Saori-san is a lesbian," Hoshino repeats slowly, confusion evident but still guarded. "What does that have to do with me getting hurt?"

"Huh?! You knew?"

Clearly, Sugiura had planned for this conversation to go differently, but Hoshino cannot figure out how exactly quite yet. 

Though it is rare to see Sugiura caught off-guard. Hoshino watches him struggle with fascination, oddly proud of making him act this way.

"Don't you like her that way?" He asks him, pointedly, and that's when Hoshino starts to piece it together.

"Oh! You mean like…  _ that _ ? Romantically?" He confirms.

"Duh."

"I did," and Hoshino can't believe he's admitting it so easily without so much as a stutter. But he's never been scared of telling the truth, "but I was clueless when I started out at Genda-sensei’s. I couldn't tell the difference between attraction and admiration. Saori-san realized it earlier than me. We had a talk about it in the office not too long ago."

Hoshino remembers the hand-holding, and how everyone walked into them just as he was hit with the realization that his feelings towards Saori-san was intense but ultimately innocent infatuation.

“So you’re not…Oh! So then that means...”

Sugiura’s obviously still a few steps behind. Hoshino waits for him to catch up, folding his hands neatly in his lap and sweetly saying, “Were you worried for me, Sugiura-san?”

If Hoshino had to guess, it probably started right there: when he stopped thinking of Sugiura as Yagami-san’s radical partner in dishing out justice and saw him as a kid his own age with similar values he lived by, the fire of due process fueling the both of them.

As he wonders where he got the courage to tease Sugiura right back, Hoshino realizes, staring at rosy-hued cheeks between slightly parted lips: that’s where the bravery came from.

“Pft. I don’t have to worry about you, you’re an adult,” Sugiura snorts, stuffing his face inside crossed arms. “I just wanted you to know the truth.”

They might do things way differently  – Hoshino’s no loafer, but him and parkour do  _ not  _ mix well  – but their end goal is the same. To find the truth and expose it.

“Well!” His friend hops off the swing, stretches his legs out. “Good to know you’re less whipped than Kaito-san is, that’s for sure.”

And even if their goals weren’t the same, well, Sugiura’s still a good person, and a good friend. Their time spent working the Kyorei case together is proof of that. And he reminds him of Saori-san - how she helps from behind the scenes, supporting him with her nods of encouragement, her radiant beauty a welcome sight for overworked eyes.

The sunset looks especially beautiful filtered through his orange-red hair, long athletic legs encased in dark fabric to contrast it pleasingly. He beckons Hoshino with slim fingers. “C’mon, let’s get a taxi already. We spent enough time hogging the park.”

Hoshino gets up, stowing away the laptop properly and indulging in that courage again. “Who was the one who made us stop in the first place, I wonder…”

“Keep making smartass comments like that and I’ll tell Okubo how much of a pining mess you used to be for your coworker.”

He chuckles impishly, leaving Hoshino open-mouthed and regretful of all that sweet courage. “Y-you... Don’t...!”

“Hoshino-kun, he’s been in jail for three years, let the man enjoy his juicy gossip.”

“Don’t make it about  _ me _ ,” he jogs up to Sugiura, who’s casually walking away. He can see his shoulders shaking with contained laughter. “What was that about Kaito-san? Tell him about that!”

“Ah, that. Now, Yagami-san may not look like it, but he’s got Kaito-san wrapped around his little finger. See, one time we were at Charles…” 


End file.
